A SAR vessel is a workplace with real physical hazards — moving machinery, wet decks, confined spaces, heavy equipment, and an environment that can change quickly. Most accidents at sea are preventable. The vast majority involve predictable risks that experienced crew manage through habit, PPE, and awareness.
Your safety is your responsibility first. A crew member who is injured or overboard becomes an emergency that diverts resources away from the people you are there to help. Staying safe is not just personal — it is operational.
What you'll cover
Personal protective equipment — what to wear and when
Deck safety — hazards, habits, and how to move safely
Man overboard — what happens when the alarm is raised
Emergency signals — what the alarms mean aboard your vessel
Your vessel's specific requirements
PPE requirements and safety procedures vary between vessels and organisations. This module covers the principles. Your vessel's induction will cover the specific requirements aboard your ship — including when lifejackets must be worn, harness attachment points, and emergency muster procedures. Pay close attention to those briefings.
Estimated time
8 minutes — followed by a knowledge check
Section 1 of 3
Personal protective equipment
PPE at sea is not optional when conditions or tasks require it. The right equipment for the right situation is a baseline expectation — not a choice. Your organisation's SOPs will define exactly when each item is required. The overview below covers what you'll encounter and why each piece matters.
Lifejacket
An automatic inflating lifejacket keeps an unconscious person face-up in the water. Different to a buoyancy aid. Check it is the right size, properly fitted, and has a charged inflation cylinder before use. A lifejacket you haven't checked is not a lifejacket.
Worn when: operations, RHIB work, when entering open deck in bad weather. Lifejackets are not typically worn on the open deck of a large vessel simply underway — check your vessel's SOP.
Safety harness & tether
A harness clips to a jackstay — a fixed line running along the deck — and prevents you going overboard even if you fall. Required in heavy weather on exposed deck. Your induction will show you where the jackstays and clip-in points are.
Worn when: heavy weather deck operations. Not typically used in RHIB or night rescue operations — check your vessel's SOP.
Helmet
Required during RHIB operations, crane/davit use, and any task where overhead equipment is moving. Head injuries from swinging equipment are among the most common serious injuries at sea. If equipment is moving overhead, the helmet goes on.
Rope, wire, and wet surfaces cause friction burns and lacerations quickly. Work gloves protect your hands during line handling, equipment movement, and any task involving rope or wire. Have a pair accessible at all times when working on deck.
Worn when: line handling, equipment movement, recovery operations
Footwear
Deck surfaces are wet, often treated with anti-slip coatings, and covered in ropes and equipment. Non-slip, closed-toe footwear is the minimum any time you're on deck. Larger vessels typically require steel toe cap boots as standard. Sandals, flip-flops, or smooth-soled shoes are not acceptable.
Worn when: any time on deck. Steel toe caps required on most larger vessels — check your vessel's SOP.
Foul weather gear
Waterproof jacket and trousers designed for maritime conditions. Crew are typically issued foul weather gear and working gear appropriate to the vessel and the season. It may or may not be high-visibility — many vessels use non-hi-vis gear as standard. Follow what your vessel provides.
Worn when: cold, wet, exposed deck work, night operations, RHIB launch and recovery
Check before you go on deck
Before going on deck — particularly during or before an operation — mentally check: appropriate footwear, weather-appropriate clothing, the correct PPE for the specific task ahead. This becomes automatic with experience. Build the habit from day one. And if you're unsure: ask.
Section 2 of 3
Safety on deck
The deck of a working vessel has specific hazards that don't exist in most land-based workplaces. Understanding them and building the right habits from the start significantly reduces your risk of injury.
Key hazards
Wet and moving surfaces
Deck surfaces are frequently wet, slippery, and moving. Sea spray, rain, and survivor recovery all add water. The vessel's motion constantly changes your centre of gravity. Always use grip points when moving.
Lines under tension
Ropes and lines under load can snap back with serious force if they part — especially during mooring operations. Never stand in the direct line of a tensioned rope; always be at an angle. If you aren't involved and trained in the operation, remain out of the area.
Moving equipment
Davits, cranes, and RHIB launch equipment move during operations. Stay clear of the operating radius of any moving equipment unless you are specifically part of that operation. Watch where the load is going, not just where it is.
Loose gear
Unsecured equipment, open doors, and anything that can swing or shift becomes a hazard when the vessel moves or takes a wave. Stow equipment, close hatches and watertight doors, and secure anything that can move. A door left open in heavy seas is a common cause of injury.
Deck awareness zones
Open — general crew
Areas accessible to all crew during normal operations. Standard PPE and grip point awareness required at all times.
Controlled — assigned crew
Areas active during operations — stern deck during rescue, davit operating areas. Only assigned crew present. Do not enter unless directed.
Restricted — authorised only
Engine room, certain machinery spaces, areas with specific hazard risk. Access only when authorised and with appropriate awareness of the space.
In any emergency
Do not run on deck — running on a moving vessel causes falls and injuries. And — cliché but true — stay calm. Panic spreads quickly; calm does too. The people around you will take their emotional cue from the people they trust. Breathe, think, act.
Emergency signals — know these before departure
Your vessel induction will cover your specific vessel's alarm signals. The types below are standard across vessels, but the actual signal pattern varies. Learn yours during induction — do not assume they are the same as another vessel.
General alarm
Go immediately to your muster station. Your vessel's SOP may require you to grab your lifejacket and immersion suit en route, if time and location permit. Report to your muster station officer.
Fire alarm
Close fire doors and hatches behind you. Do not use lifts. Go to your muster station and carry out your assigned role if you have one. Await instructions.
MOB alarm
Raise the alarm by any means possible — shouting, radio, activating the alarm. Keep eyes on the person in the water and point continuously — do not look away. Shout "man overboard" and the clock position. Throw a lifebuoy or anything that floats if within reach. Once a second person has visual contact, they take over the watch and you can move to raise the formal alarm.
Abandon ship
Go to your muster station with your lifejacket — and immersion suit if your vessel carries them. Abandon ship is only ordered by the Master. Do not enter liferafts until instructed.
Section 3 of 3
Man overboard
A man overboard (MOB) is one of the most time-critical emergencies at sea. Survival time in the water is limited — in Mediterranean summer water it may be hours, but in cold water or at night, much less. Every second between going overboard and being recovered matters.
You are unlikely to be directly involved in the recovery operation unless you are a trained SAR technician. What you must know is what to do in the immediate moments — because those moments determine whether the person is found.
The most important rule
If you see someone go overboard — or see a person in the water — do not take your eyes off them. Keep pointing at them continuously. A person in the water disappears from sight in seconds in any sea state. Your eyes and your pointing arm are the only thing keeping them located until the vessel can respond. Do not look away for any reason.
Immediate actions if you witness MOB
1
Shout "MAN OVERBOARD" immediately and continuously
Shout loudly so the bridge and all nearby crew hear you. Identify the clock position — "Man overboard, 3 o'clock." Keep shouting until others have responded.
2
Keep eyes on the person — do not look away
Point continuously at the person in the water. This is your only job until someone takes over. Do not look at the bridge, do not look for equipment — eyes on, pointing arm extended.
3
Throw a lifebuoy — or anything that floats
If a lifebuoy is within arm's reach, throw it. If not, anything that floats helps — fenders, cushions, empty containers. Two reasons: the casualty may be able to reach it, and the bridge uses the floating object as a visual marker of drift and current. This gives the recovery manoeuvre a reference point in the water. Do not leave your position to fetch something — keeping eyes on the person is still the priority.
4
Hand over the watch to another crew member when they arrive
When another crew member reaches you, point them onto the person — make sure they have visual contact before you look away. Only then can you take other actions. Say clearly "I have the watch" / "You have the watch."
5
The bridge handles the rest
The bridge will initiate the MOB manoeuvre, deploy the RHIB if conditions allow, and coordinate the recovery. Your role is to maintain the visual watch on the person in the water for as long as needed.
Preventing MOB — the best response
One hand for you, one hand for the ship at all times on deck. Wear your lifejacket and harness when required. Do not sit on guardrails or lean over the side. Be aware of your position relative to open deck edges, particularly at night or in rough conditions. Prevention is always better than response.
Practice — interactive
Kit up for the task
Three scenarios. For each, select the PPE you'd put on before going on deck — or into the RHIB. Click an item to add it, click again to remove. When you're ready, review to see what you've missed or over-packed and why.
This is a general guideline to help you think about what's needed before a task — not a definitive list. PPE requirements vary significantly between vessels, operations, and organisations based on their SOPs and risk assessments. Always check your vessel's specific requirements — and if in doubt, ask. Better to be over-kitted than under-kitted.
Knowledge check
Before you move on
Five questions on personal safety, PPE, and man overboard response.